Chapter IX

SPLASH.

Drenched in cold water he woke up coughing, panicking, and in pain.

Benedict had looked around wildly, his senses barely functioning.

“How long do you plan to sleep?” A silhouette of a man stood in front of him.

He stepped forth into the light from the cracks of the tree branches. Benedict took a quick glance around him, not far from them in a clear field he saw an old cabin that for some reason a willow tree had sprouted from the inside and bloomed all the way outside its ceilings. It was as if the cabin was built to accommodate the tree itself. Ceberus grabbed his face, growling, he said.

“Look at me. You unworthy vermin.” His nails morph into claws.

Benedict looked at his nose. Unwilling to provoke his former Alpha.

“Whhyy.” Ceberus asked. His words slurring and growling as he contained his shift. His fur ready to burst out.

Why? What? Why the betrayal? Why did he lose that day? Why were they there? Such a generic question had sent him into hysterics, the context of it was simple, and yet due to the trauma of the recent events, he couldn’t answer even if he wanted to. His mental state trying to grasp the situation.

"I…I-I He…The pack needs to expand, we weren’t getting any help. Kei-he wanted to expand! We were dying!" Benedict cried.

¨Your audacity astounds me Benedict.¨ Ceberus said. He had let go of his former guard. He sat down beside his last meal.

Benedict tensed as he watched Ceberus sat down beside him.

¨Your loyalty - No the packs’… My family…I’ve treated all of you as such…you betrayed me.” Ceberus said in a low voice his voice gave him an ominous feeling.

“You were like a child that I needed to protect. The ignorance you wore on your sleeves was my fault for keeping you in the dark. But to be condemned by it? I must’ve nailed myself to the coffin you built. How many more wounds will you spit at me.”

Benedict saw his left arm start to shift and grow, and that’s when he noticed in full detail that Ceberus' wooden arm wasn’t a prosthetic but rather a part of him, his bark of skin was growing on its own little moss and plant. He then could see it wasn’t an armor but a part of him. His fingers started to narrow down, turning to its own sharp disfigured claws, he didn’t want to think about the small flesh stuck in one of his former Alpha’s bark.

“And even now…you came to me in a silver whip with your army claiming HER LAa..nd. W..why must you try to taint her as weeellll? Whhyy couldn’t you people ju-just starve to death.”

Benedict was panicking; he couldn't look away as slowly and painfully Ceberus morphed into something demonic, his left arm turning into a weapon of butchery. Roots started to form on his left shoulder even as far as touching the tip of his chin.

Benedict started to scream, he had started to wriggle and crawl towards his freedom; he looked around trying to find someone, anyone for help, but the wind had kissed his cheeks as if to say farewell. His fractured limbs flared in pain.

Lycan hands had grabbed his dislocated legs, pulling him, Benedict must’ve blacked out for him not to notice his limbs shattered into pieces.

“PLEASE! ALPHA PLEASEEEE.” Benedict clawed the dirt trying to find anything to hold onto.

“Custodi-” and in a swift movement

Ceberus had ripped his head off with his muzzle. Gulping his blood through his open and headless neck.

“Your God is not here.”

He dropped this man’s lifeless body and started dragging it to an open pit he dug up threw his body in the pile of others.

Walking towards the river in front of him beside the cabin, he started to wash off the blood from his fur. He didn’t like the tree to see him in such a state.

Ceberus was still mad. Shaking even in anger. It took all of him to not blackout and rain another carnage in this peaceful land.

Shaking his fur he walked towards the cabin. He slowly started to shift back with each step.

He went inside, hoping to see the lovely face of the sleeping nymph. His anger ceasing, and his heart felt like small butterflies fluttering inside.

There she was, slowly growing out of her willow he could see her elbow poking out, he could already imagine her sleeping position. Her face had been the only thing that used to poke out of her trunk, but now her hair, a luscious dark green of moss had framed her lovely face. He guessed that she was in a half fetus position, mesmerized he slowly caressed her cheek, tracing the semi faint outlines that resembled a tree pattern.

The girl sighed, her head gave a slight tilt towards his finger, her lips rewarding him with a soft smile.

She was starting to grow out of her tree and fast. He was excited to finally be able to meet her, he had questions that needed to be answered, his thoughts were racing about what his first action would be, but then he stopped as he smelled the faint blood from the massacre he had caused. The wind danced with its smell towards him.

The hair on the back of his neck started to rise and his left arm started to morph into a deadly weapon. They wanted this land, they were gonna hurt her.

With that thought in mind, he kissed her soft cold cheek and whispered apologetically.

“Please wait for me.”

Standing up he went towards the door.